Drive mechanism for two rolling frames of a tube reducing rolling mill



March 19, 1968 H. MEURER 3,373,635

DRIVE MECHANISM FOR TWO ROLLING FRAMES OF A TUBE REDUCING ROLLING MILL Filed April 9, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet l March 19, 1968 H. MEURER DRIVE MECHANISM FOR TWO ROLLING FRAMES OF A TUBE REDUCING ROLLING MILL 5 Sheets-Sheet :3

Filed April 9, 1965 H. MEURER March 19, 1968 3,3 73,635 DRIVE MECHANISM FOR rwo ROLLING FRAMES OF A TUBE REDUCING ROLLING MILL 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 9, 1965 R 8 Q A L FE a H If IT E H R I? I a ALT LT m mi 3,373,635 DRIVE MECHANISM FOR TWO ROLLING FRAMES OF A TUBE REDUCING ROLLING MILL Hans Meurer, Monchen-Gladbach, Germany, assignor to Mannesmann-Meer Aktiengeseilsciiaft, a corporation of Germany Filed Apr. 9, 1965, Ser. No. 447,109 2 Claims. (Cl. 74665) ABEaTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Drive means for tube reduction rolling mills that comprise a hydro double gearing with pumps and motors, a mechanical double gearing including planetary gearing, gear wheels in driving connection with the mechanical double gearing and with the pumps, and output shafts in driven connection with the mechanical gearing and driving the rolls of the rolling frames in the proper assigned direction.

The present invention relates to a drive means for tube reduction rolling mills. It is among the principal objects of the invention to adapt the complete drive means structure to the space requirement of the respective mill frames with a minimum possible frame distance in respect to depth as well as width. It is another object of the invention to provide a structure of the type described that has a simplified manufacture.

The present invention provides for such drive means that include substantially the following parts:

(a) A hydro double gearing with pumps and motors and two adjusting motors for the pumps, while the pumps are driven directly by an input shaft extending transversely to the rolling direction or through spur gears,

(b) A mechanical double gearing with two planetary gearings driven also by the input shaft through spur gears. The planetary gearings are provided with mechanical superimposing gearings driven by the motors of the hydro double gearing,

-(c) A two-member housing for the hydro double gearing and a two-member housing enclosing all parts of the mechanical double gearing, while each of both houses is provided with a vertical gap in the plane of the input shaft.

The invention further provides that in the mentioned hydro double gearing the casings of the pumps are pear shaped and horizontally pivotable and the respective motors are arranged vertically above the same, while the pumps and motors are arranged in the levels staggered in such a manner, that the input shafts of the pumps and the output shafts of the motors are at the same level with the respective shafts, of the mechanical double gearing, and are arranged vertically superimposed in the extent of the vertically arranged gaps.

A further feature resides in that the upper universal joint and lower universal joint shaft provided between the planetary gearing and the rolling frames are connected alternatingly in such a manner with the adjacent to each other arranged rolling frames, that the respective rolls rotate in their respective determined direction.

A further feature resides in that with a drive means comprising the above stated features in side-by-side arrangement for all frames of a tube reduction rolling mill the input shafts are in connection with a train gearing which is arranged in rolling direction along the side-byside arranged double gearings.

Finally a feature of the invention resides in that the train gearings are sub-divided into several gearboxes with three or four output shafts in direct engagement with ates Patent 9 3,373,635 Patented Mar. 19, 1968 spur gears, while the connection of the gearboxes among each others is effected by rigid gears or gearings.

By this embodiment of the drive means there is firstly permitted a rational and simple manufacture of all parts, and this in particular by the exclusive use of spur gears instead of bevel gears, as are otherwise usually used, and secondly that for each capacity to be considered the depth of the housing of the hydro gearing can be maintained the same or smaller dimensioned than the respective dimension of the housing of the mechanical double gearing.

The use of train gearings in the above stated manner has the following advantages:

As there are provided in the train gearings only as many spur gears as there are outputshafts, there are firstly saved gear Wheels, and secondly the gear wheel diameters become substantially greater, so that in the width the wheels are smaller and thus it is possible to make the gear bearings respectively lighter. The sub-division of the train gearings in boxes with three or four output shafts renders possible the desired adaptation of the train gearings to the number of rolling frames and by the connection of the individual boxes of the train gearings by means of rigid gears or shifting gearings one can easily obtain the desired range of rotation speed.

The invention will further be explained with reference to the following description of an exemplification thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein FIGURE 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the drive means according to the present invention,

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the complete plant, and

FIGURE 3 is a lateral view of the complete plant. All illustrations are given in a schematic form.

As can be derived from FIGURE 1 the drive means as a whole comprises the hydro double gearing 1, the mechanical double gearing 3 and the gear wheels or wheel gearings 4 in the form of train gearings. In the housing of the hydro double gearing are arranged the pumps'S, 5 at different levels side-by-side and superimposed vertically thereto the respective motors 6, 6'. The adjustment of the pumps 5, 5' is elfected by the adjusting motors 2, 2'. The input shafts 7, 8 for the pumps and the output shafts 9, 10 of the motors are aranged at the same level with the respective shafts of the mechanical double gearing 3. This mechanical double gearing 3 comprises the input shaft 11, which passes horizontally through the vertical housing gap 3a (FIGURE 2) and is connected with the shaft 7 of the hydro double gearing. This shaft and also the vertically on top thereof arranged shafts 8, 9 and 10 of the hydro gearing are arranged in the vertical housing gap 1a of the housing of the hydro gearing 1. From the input shaft 11 there extends the gear wheel drive 12 for driving the shaft 8 of the pump 5'. Further from the drive shaft 11 there extend spur gearings 15, 15', 16 in the direction of the planetary gearings 13, 14. The mechanical superposition for influencing the output number of rotation of the planetary gearing is effected by the superimposing wheel gearings 17, 18, which are driven by means of the shafts 19, 20 directly by the motors 6, 6' of the hydro gearing. From the wheel gearings 17, 18 the shafts 23, 24 extend to the pinions 21, 22 of the planetary gearing 13, 14. The output shaft of the planetary gearings 25, 26 are the input shafts for the rolling frames. The drive of the input shaft 11 is effected by the train gearing 4. Details concerning this gearing can be derived from FIG- URE 2 in which is shown schematically a plan view of the complete plant of 24 frames comprising a stretch reduction rolling mill.

In the example given the train gearing 4 is sub-divided and comprises three separate groups of boxes 29 with four spur gears each. The connection of the individual boxes is effected through two shifts or switch gearings 31. The drive is effected through a reduction gear 28 by a motor 32. The shift gearings 31 provide each for a twospeed transmission between adjoining boxes 29. Another purpose of the gearings 31, as previously indicated, is the selection of the number of boxes 29 in accordance with the number of rolling frames 27 used.

FIGURE 3 which represents a lateral view of the plant shows substantially the inventive connections of the train gearing 4 with the switch gearings 31 and the connection of the shafts 25, 26 with the rolling frames 27. In order to obtain the correct direction of rotation of the rolls of the rolling frames 27, the arrangement is made in such a manner that with the first mechanical double gearing 3 in FIGURE 2-arranged at the right side-the lower out put shaft with the universal joint 26 (FIGURE 3) is connected with the first rolling frame, i.e. the frame at the extreme right side of the drawing, whereas the upper output shaft, i.e. the universal joint shaft 25 is connected with the second rolling frame. At the second mechanical double gearing 3 (in FIGURE 2 the second from the right side) the upper output shaft is connected with the universal joint shaft 25 with the third frame, whereas the lower output shaft with the universal joint shaft 26 is coupled with the fourth frame. This type of connection is repeated with the other elements. Thereby it is achieved that all rolls rotate in their respective determined direction.

What I claim is:

1. Drive means, for use in connection with a series of rolling frames of a tube reduction rolling mill, comprising (a) input means including a series of driven primary gears, one for each rolling frame, a mechanical double gearing for each frame, a first two-part housing enclosing said mechanical double gearing, a hydraulic double gearing for each frame, a second two-part housing enclosing said hydraulic double gearing, said housings defining vertical gaps,

(b) each hydraulic double gearing including a first hydraulic pump and a first hydraulic motor, the casing of said first hydraulic pump being movable and connected to said first hydraulic motor and operable to adjust by its movements the rotational output speed of said first hydraulic motor, a second hydraulic motor and a second hydraulic pump having a movable casing connected to said second hydraulic motor and operable to adjust by its movements the rotational output speed of said second hydraulic motor, means operable for moving either hydraulic pump, the casing of each of said pumps being pear-shaped and horizontally pivotable, a first driving shaft connected to and driving each pump, and a first driven shaft connected to and driven from each hydraulic motor, said first driving and driven shafts extending from said second housing, said pumps and motors being arranged in levels staggered in such a manner that said first driving shafts and said first driven shafts are vertically superposed in a gap of said second housing,

(c) each mechanical double gearing including a first and second planetary gearing each comprising an outer and an inner input gear and an output gear, an input shaft driven from one of said primary driven gears, and an output shaft driven from each of said output gears of said planetary gearings and adapted to be in driving connection with a :roll of one of said rolling frames, said input and output shafts being vertically superposed in a gap of said first housing, two second driving shafts and two second driven shafts vertically superposed in a gap of said first housing of said mechanical double gearing and being in register with, and operable to engage, said first driving and driven shafts of said hydraulic double gearing,

(d) and transmission gearing including spur gears connecting said input shaft to both said second driving shafts, thereby energizing said pumps, connecting said input shaft to the outer gears of both said planetary gearings, and connecting each second driven shaft driven from a hydraulic motor to the inner gear of a planetary gearing, thereby superimposing in each planetary gearing the adjusted rotational output of the respective hydraulic motor over the rotation imparted to the planetary gearing from said input shaft.

2. Drive means, as claimed in claim 1, said series of rolling frames including several groups, said primary gears of said input means forming a train of spur gears positioned alongside said rolling frame and being divided into several groups, each group of said primary gears corresponding to the respective group of rolling frames, the primary gears of each group being box enclosed, and transmission means including shift gearings between each two adjoining boxes operable for transmitting rotational movement between the primary gears of the adjoining boxes.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,874,591 2/1959 Thoma 74720.5 3,013,452 12/1961 Hornbostel 74687 X 3,016,772 1/1962 Hornbostel 74687 X DONLEY I. STOCKING, Primary Examiner.

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, THOMAS C. PERRY,

Examiners.

I. R. BENEFIEL, Assistant Examiner. 

